Tainted Meat
by silverwolf-fox
Summary: ONESHOT! Reuniting after those long two years of separation, an incident shows the Strawhat crew that the events of Marineford affected their captain even more than they thought. Based on jujubaisfuckedup's Tumblr prompt: "AU where Luffy can't eat meat anymore bc the scent of burning flesh reminds him of Ace."


This is based off the following Tumblr prompt by jujubaisfuckedup

"AU where Luffy can't eat meat anymore bc the scent of burning flesh reminds him of Ace."

* * *

Waves lapped against the hull of the _Thousand Sunny_ as it sailed through the New World. It was the first relaxing moment the crew had since they first surfaced from Fishman Island, and most were taking advantage.

Zoro was napping in the grass, Usopp and Franky were in their respective workshops, Robin was quietly reading in the aquarium lounge, Chopper wanted to get the medical room fully organized, it was Brook's shift at the helm, Nami was busying herself with her maps in the library, Sanji was preparing for their first real meal together since their separation, and as for the captain…

Basking in his favorite spot atop the ship's figurehead, Luffy idly picked at his bandages. They were so itchy and the rubber boy wanted nothing more than to rip them off, but Chopper would yell at him if he did it again. Luffy pouted and munched on the apple he managed to pilfer from the kitchen before Sanji kicked him out. The sweet fruit crunched between his teeth, but it barely touched the ache of his constant hunger.

The young boy groaned and peeked over the spikes of Sunny's lion head, hoping to catch Sanji announcing it was time to eat, but the blonde didn't appear. Hearing his stomach grumble left no room for any other consideration, so he hopped back onto the deck and ran towards the kitchen.

"_Shishishishi_," Luffy snickered, slamming the door open to shout, "Sanji! Food!"

"Dammit, Luffy! I told you to stay out of here while I was cooking!" Deciding the simmering pork would be fine for a brief moment, the chef angrily stalked over to the younger pirate, prepared to literally kick him out back outside, when he came to a startled stop.

Luffy stood frozen, barely inside the threshold of the room. Dark eyes wide and unseeing, he suddenly covered his mouth with a bandaged hand before puking onto the floor. In the back of his mind, he could hear Sanji yelling for Chopper, could see him running to turn off the stove where the stench was coming from.

Turning on his heel, Luffy escaped the normally delicious scent wafting around the room that was causing acid to burn in the back of his throat. He only made it as far as the lawn on deck before falling to his knees. Wet coughs forced bile from his mouth to dirty the grass beneath him.

Running feet thundered around him.

"Luffy!"

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?"

"Someone get a doctor!"

"You are the doctor, Chopper!"

"Oh, right!" A tiny hoof brushed against Luffy's shoulder only for the boy to flinch away as if burned. When the reindeer tried to reach out again, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. Chopper looked behind him to see Zoro slowly shaking his head as he slowly pulled him back.

After swiping his arm across his nose, Luffy caught a glance of his hands and cried out. He started furiously rubbing them against the fabric of his pants. The crew shared worried glances until Robin appeared, gently pushing past Nami so that she could kneel in front of her captain.

"Luffy?" she whispered, not wanting to startle the boy.

"It won't come off," he keened, never ceasing the harsh treatment of his hands, desperate to wipe away the warm blood that stained them. "It won't come off, it won't come off, it won't come off!"

Robin lightly touched the young boy's hand, shocking it still, and lifted it up. The bandages were clean but wrinkled from the rough actions. Robin reached out towards Sanji expectantly. Without needing to share a word, the chef removed a handkerchief from his suit pocket and handed it over.

Moving very slowly, Robin took the small square cloth and wiped it along the palm of Luffy's hand.

"It's okay, Luffy," she said quietly, letting him see the white bandages. "See? It's all gone now." Large tears welled up in his dark eyes, and he wordlessly gave her his other hand so she could give it the same treatment. When his hands were clean to his eyes, Luffy fell forward, allowing Robin to cradle his head against her chest and run gentle fingers through his black hair, all the while murmuring, "It's all okay now."

Meanwhile, the rest of the Strawhats backed away to the further side of the deck to give the two their space.

"Can someone explain what the hell just happened?" Zoro demanded, gripping the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji to help keep himself grounded while his gaze kept flickering to his beloved captain, who seemed to have dozed off in the arms of their archaeologist.

Everyone turned to Sanji, as he had been the one to call out to them in the first place. Unfortunately, the chef couldn't do much more beyond offering a helpless shrug, explaining that he hadn't seen Luffy do anything besides walk into the dining area before freaking out.

"It was the meat." The voice of their captain surprised them as he pulled away from Robin but didn't immediately stand up. He stared over at Sanji with red-rimmed eyes, and he sounded so helpless as he said, "I'm sorry, Sanji, but I can't eat it anymore."

* * *

"When did this start happening, Luffy?"

They sat around the dining table while Sanji set out whatever fruits and vegetables he had already prepared for the meal, clearing away the meat and doing his best to air out the room to get rid of the smell.

Luffy picked at the plate in front of him and looked at them, eyes going distant for the briefest moment. "Not long after Marineford. I was fine on Amazon Lily, 'course I was pretty out of it then cause of my injuries. I didn't really notice until I went to Rusukaina with Rayleigh."

_It was their first night on the island, and Luffy was wincing as he bandaged his newest injuries from the beasts that inhabited the forest while Rayleigh set a fire. Off to the side was a humongous boar they'd caught for dinner. Skinning and cutting up the meat was easy work for the former vice-captain and soon large slabs were roasting over the crackling flames._

_While the meat cooked, Luffy went to the nearby river to fetch water. He couldn't stop grinning at how familiar it all was, camping in the woods. The only things missing were his brothers. Thinking of them sobered him and made the gaping wound in his chest ache until he heard Rayleigh calling for him._

_Nothing ever perked him up faster than the prospect of eating. Luffy ran back to their makeshift campsite and in one fluid motion dropped their canteens and grabbed the biggest piece of meat and chomped. His teeth sank into the tender flesh before the scent reached his nose._

_Suddenly he was thrown back to when he was clutching Ace's body, then stench of burning flesh wafting up from the hole in his back. Blood slicked hands struggled to find purchase on his brother's warm, freckled skin, and the weight of his body fell against Luffy, surrounding him with the scent of heat and smoke and cooked flesh._

_A harsh slap sent dark spots flashing across his vision until Luffy saw a concerned Rayleigh kneeling before him. Still feeling the strip of boar meat in his mouth, the young captain turned to the side to spit it out into the grass, downing water from the waterskin that his mentor held out to him to wash away the coppery taste that was assaulting his taste buds._

"_Luffy," Rayleigh spoke calmly, "are you here with me?"_

_Looking at his hands, which were wet with juices from the boar but weren't painted red, he shakily nodded. Giving him a soft, understanding look, Rayleigh placed a comforting hand on Luffy's head and lightly ruffled his hair._

Sitting at the table with his friends, Luffy mimicked the affectionate gesture Rayleigh often bestowed on him. His dark hair was damp with sweat. Everyone was quiet, guilt permeating their expressions that they hadn't been there to support their captain at Marineford. Nami opened her mouth, "Lu-" but was stunned into silence when Zoro shot her a sharp, narrow-eyed stare. Even though she would have meant well with her apologetic words, the swordsman knew that it would only make things worse.

Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette. "If it's the smell that's the problem, I'm sure I can find a way to work around it," he assured with a confident smirk. Considering how closely intertwined smell is with taste, it would no doubt be a challenge to cover the scent of meat without disrupting the balance of the meal, but the hopeful expression on Luffy's face solidified Sanji's promise to find a way. "Plenty of greens for you to enjoy until then."

An innocent enough statement except for the smug look he sent Zoro from the corner of his eye, casting a significant glance at his mossy hair. Zoro clicked his teeth, and his chair clattered to the floor when he jumped up to attack the chef. They parried each other's attacks while moving around the table, Franky and Brook smoothly dodging when a sword or foot came a little too close. Chopper begged them to stop while Nami stood and yelled, "Not in the kitchen. Take it outside!"

Laughing at his friends, Luffy stretched his arm across the table to steal from their plates. A glimpse of red had his gaze zeroing in on his hand, and he stiffened but quickly grabbed an apple off Zoro's place and stuffed it in his mouth before anyone could notice his hesitation.

"Luffy." The young captain forced himself to look at Robin. A gentle smile belied the concern hidden behind her bright blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

Lying would be impossible. Not only did everyone know Luffy couldn't lie to save his life, but Robin was easily one of the more observant members of the crew. No doubt she already knew what he was thinking about, and the only reason she was asking was to give him the illusion of privacy.

Ignoring the blood he could still feel slathered thick and warm on his hands through sheer force of will, Luffy offered an impossibly wide grin. He wore that grin throughout the impromptu vegetarian dinner and while they played around on deck, but once night fell, their captain insisted on taking watch.

The crew was hesitant to leave Luffy alone until Zoro headed over to the bow, pausing only to wave them off to bed. Only after double checking that everyone had left did he relax against a spot on the railing where he could see his captain sitting cross-legged on the lion head, staring out at the dark horizon.

Several minutes of silence dragged between them before Luffy finally said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"So why didn't you?" The swordsman's gruff tone shook with rage. Crawling back over the figurehead, the lanky teen hopped down next to his crewmate but didn't get far before Zoro grabbed his shoulders. "Why couldn't you tell _me_?"

"Zoro," he whispered. The fingers gripping him tightened. Luffy quietly admitted, "We were finally back together." Zoro drew him closer, pushing the straw hat off to hang by its string so it didn't get in the way of Luffy nuzzling his neck.

"I can't take care of you if you don't tell me when you're hurting."

Luffy grunted and pulled back. He was frowning, but there wasn't any real anger behind it. "I'm the captain, so I take care of you." The familiar argument made Zoro smirk. One arm wrapped around a slender waist, pinning them close together, and his other hand cupped the rubber boy's cheek.

"It's a first mate's job to take care of his captain." Before Luffy could argue again, Zoro swooped in and covered Luffy's pouting lips with his own. It started chaste, but the kiss quickly grew heated as the swordsman poured all of his feelings into it: his frustration, his worry, and especially how much he cares for the young pirate in his arms.

Bandaged hands grabbed at Zoro's dark green coat as the two separated, their soft pants mingling together. It took a moment to catch their breath, then Luffy whimpered, "I missed Zoro."

Zoro smiled, the small, gentle kind of smile that he kept just for these little moments shared with his captain, and cradled Luffy's hands in his own.

"How are your hands?" he asked, turning the palms up.

"Fine." Zoro raised a skeptical brow, and Luffy groaned. "They're clean right now. Promise."

"And?"

"And I'll tell you when it happens again," Luffy said petulantly.

"Good, now come on." The first mate walked off towards the crows nest. He smirked over his shoulder and added, "Thanks to you, we've got night watch together."

* * *

**This went from angst to sweet, and I'm not sure how.**


End file.
